Heavy rain hinders rescue efforts after landslides struck the hilly Wayanad district while people were sleeping.
At least 49 people have been killed with dozens more feared trapped after a series of landslides triggered by relentless rain struck a hilly region of India’s southern state of Kerala, the authorities said.
The landslides hit near Meppadi in the district of Wayanad at about 2am on Tuesday (20:30 GMT on Monday), cutting off at least four villages, and rescue efforts were being hampered by continued heavy rain.
P M Manoj, press secretary to the Kerala chief minister, said the landslides had killed at least 49 people so far. The toll is expected to rise further. At least 70 others were injured and were being treated in district hospitals, officials said.
More than 200 soldiers were deployed to the area, and two Indian Air Force helicopters had been mobilised for the rescue effort, with police drones and a dog squad also to be sent to the area.
“Hundreds of people are suspected to have been trapped,” the Indian Army said in a statement.
In a social media post, it said a medical team had been sent as efforts were under way “to rescue approximately 250 individuals likely stranded”.
Sandosh Kumar, a member of parliament representing Kerala, told the ANI news agency that some flooded areas in his district are “completely marooned”.
“These rescue operations are also becoming increasingly difficult,” he said.
The Hindu newspaper said many houses, vehicles and shops had been submerged in mud and water. Chooralmala’s main bridge was also destroyed, according to the Indian Express newspaper, with many areas cut off.
The newspaper published photographs showing torrents of brown swirling water amid fallen trees, large boulders and damaged buildings.
“The situation is serious. The government has pressed all agencies into rescue,” state Forest Minister AK Saseendran told the Reuters news agency.
Writing on X, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “distressed” by events in Kerala and that he had spoken to the state’s Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan assuring him of “all possible help”.
Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, who previously represented the Wayanad constituency in parliament, said he was “deeply anguished” by news of the landslides and that he hoped the trapped would soon be rescued.
India’s meteorological agency is predicting more rain in the coming hours.
Monsoon rains across the region from June to September offer respite from the summer heat and are crucial to replenishing water supplies.
They are vital for agriculture and therefore the livelihoods of millions of farmers and food security for South Asia’s nearly two billion people.
But they also bring destruction in the form of landslides and floods.
The number of fatal floods and landslides has increased in recent years, and experts say climate change is exacerbating the problem.